Serbia, Kosovo To Discuss Name Issue

BRUSSELS -- Serbian and Kosovar negotiators will meet in Brussels on February 21 in the latest round of EU-sponsored talks aimed at normalizing ties between the two.

The talks concern how Pristina can be represented in regional forums and the implementation of a previous agreement on how to manage Kosovo and Serbia's mutual frontiers, known as "integrated border management" (IBM).

Agreements on both issues are believed to be necessary for Serbia to be granted EU candidate status next week during an EU summit.

Discussions are expected to be especially difficult on what Kosovo will be called when it attends regional summits.

Kosovo insists that it should be represented as an independent state.

Serbia maintains a reference should be included to a UN resolution that did not mention independence.

The EU postponed the decision on Serbia's membership status from December to March, allowing it more time to work toward a normalization of relations with Kosovo.